IntroductionThe Texas Chainsaw series never had been much of a popular series. With only one truly good movie, the other movies are somewhat considered to be terrible by critics. With movie fanatics like me, I can agree that The Texas Chainsaw series is not all too great but somehow they are not terrible. Most of the movies have gained a cult following. The first film was released in 1974 with the most recent one being released in 2017. Despite it being a series with only a few films to its name and most of the films receiving mostly negative reviews by critics, the series was able to give birth to the first slasher character. Leatherface. Today I will be reviewing the 8 films in The Texas Chainsaw franchise. You do not have to agree with me because everything is based on my opinion. I will talk about each movie in order of release and will rate each movie out of 10. There also will be some spoilers. Without further ado, let’s start!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

To start this off, I must say, this movie made history. A movie that had such a low budget and made millions. It is the first slasher film of its kind (besides Psycho) to actually scare people. In general, I classify a slasher movie as scary if the events happening could actually happen in real life. In the sense of this film, the events could happen. A chainsaw wielding killer could be dwelling in Texas as I reviewing this franchise.

The plot is this. This girl hears that her relative’s grave was vandalized. So, her, her paraplegic brother, and 3 other friends go to said grave. After doing so, they pick up a hitchhiker who then starts acting very strange. They drop him off and then take a detour. Then 2 of the friends go off and come across a house. One friend goes inside the house and is killed by Leatherface. The other friend later is killed as well. This happens until our main character Sally, witnesses Leatherface chainsaw her brother Franklin. She is chased by Leatherface and eventually outruns him. She comes across an old man who runs a little off-the-road-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-shop. She tells of what happened to her friends to the old man. The old man claims that nothing will happen but then knocks her out and brings her back to the house. Sally wakes up and joins Leatherface, the old man, the hitchhiker, and “Grandpa” at dinner. She witnesses their cannibalistic ways and makes an escape. She is chased by the hitchhiker and Leatherface. The hitchhiker is eventually killed by a semi truck and the driver gets out and throws a wrench at Leatherface. Leatherface falls and his chainsaw cuts his leg. The driver runs away and leaves Sally running with the limping Leatherface in pursuit. A pickup truck drives by and Sally gets in and drives off. Leaving Leatherface in the dust. This is where we see the film end with Leatherface doing the famous chainsaw dance.

There is not much strength in this plot which is usually the case with most slasher films. The script was amazing but the dialogue was week. But the way the film was shot made it look like a documentary. Which added to the scare factor. There is not a whole lot of gore in this film which can be explained by the MPAA. The film was originally given an X rating. Which resulted in the film having to be edited. That was the downside of the series in general. THE MPAA. (I will be referring to the MPAA a lot in this review.) In general, the film is a masterpiece despite having a dialogue that is less than what it could have been. Something that would never be repeated in the series. This is without a doubt, the best film in the series and most likely will always.

Rating 9/10

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

So, after the success of the original Texas Chainsaw film. Could there possibly have been another film? This was a question being asked by many after watching the film. A sequel did arise. 12 years later. 1986 had several horror films other than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Friday the 13th Part 6 and Aliens to name a few. The film was released and was able to pass it’s budget at the box office. But the film was criticized for being way different from the original film. Some called it a black comedy. All of which I can agree with.

The beginning starts with two people driving. They are talking to a DJ named Stretch (who is our main character). They are then attacked by Leatherface while the phone is still on. The next day, a police officer (who has being investigating chainsaw killings and Texas and is the uncle of Sally) arrives on the scene and the DJ arrives with a recording of the call. The tape is broadcasted and Leatherface’s family arrives upon hearing the tape. DJ Stretch is then confronted by Leatherface and his brother Chop Top. She escapes Leatherface and Chop Top. The officer confronts the family which consists of Leatherface, Grandpa Sawyer, Drayton, and Chop Top. A battle takes place and ends when a grenade explodes killing all except Stretch and Chop Top. They fight and Stretch grabs a chainsaw and kills Chop Top. Again, there is not a strong engaging plot. The level of gore has been raised for this film which was absent from the first film. I do like the fact that they reveal the name of Drayton (who was the old man from the first film). I also enjoy that they gave the last name of the Sawyer family. I did not like the change from slasher to black comedy. It just did not seem right. The special effects were neat. This film did have a problem with the MPAA originally giving it an X rating. Thankfully there is the uncut and unrated versions of the film around. But, was the film better or as good as the original? No, it was not. The film fails to establish the characters and it was not a true horror movie. Only the gore (at least some of it) is the only redeeming factor along with the info that the original movie failed to explain. The end fight between Stretch and Chop Top was really neat. The film has gained a cult following. Plus, you had better horror movies that were released the same year which might have caused this movie to not be that popular. You kill off the main antagonist. Which, at the time led many to ask this. If there was another film, would Stretch be the new killer? I mean after killing Chop Top and dancing with the chainsaw, it is hard not to consider. Overall the film was not that good. But, it is watchable. It just did not appeal to me.

Rating 4/10

Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III

First of all, I must complain about the title of this movie. First of all, the series is not called the Leatherface series. It is The Texas Chainsaw series!!! It confuses people. But, I suppose I can ignore it. Now, I must first talk about the trailer. (The trailer will be posted at the end of this movie review.) Have you ever seen a cool trailer and when you come to watch the movie, the movie is terrible? One other movie I can think of is The Punisher of 1989. Cool trailer but the movie is not that great. I mean, you have a silver chainsaw fly out of the water and Leatherface catches it with ONE HAND and LIGHTING STRIKES THE DAMN THING!!!!! It is cool. But as I said, the movie is terrible. The movie was released in 1990 but was supposed to be released a year before hand. The film was a commercial and critical failure. But the big question was, who was the killer? You know, coming to think of it, maybe that is why this film is called Leatherface. Because, they wanted people to know that Leatherface is back. Which happens a lot in slasher films. Just when you think the main antagonist is dead, they find a way to bring back the antagonist. Some thought of it maybe as a remake but it seems that it could not be so. It would seem like it could because the film goes back to the original format. Let’s talk about the plot.

We see Leatherface kill a girl. Someone winesses it. Later we see our main character Michelle with her husband/boyfriend. They come to this gas station and meet this hitchhiker named Tex. Tex is attacked by the owner of the gas station and Michelle and Ryan (husband/boyfriend) run. Obviously, they get lost and they are then chased by Leatherface. They meet Benny who is a survivalist. He, Michelle, and Ryan crash when they come across Tex. They escape and then decide to find Tex again and they come across this hooked handed man. They realize that he is part of the Sawyer clan and they attempt to escape but run into Leatherface. They escape but Ryan is caught. Michelle finds a house is then captured by Tex. Leatherface’s family gathers around and kills Ryan. They prepare to kill Michelle but thanks to Benny, she escapes. In the escape, Benny kills Tex and Benny is killed by Leatherface. Or so it seems. They escape knowing that Leatherface is still alive.

Sounds like the plot was stolen from the original with minor tweaks. It is nice to see the Sawyer family expand. Especially with children. I do enjoy the look of Leatherface. In the second movie, he looked like a clown. His mask was scarier and probably the scariest in the original series. But this movie has bad things to say than good. This movie took a major toll with the MPAA. Again, the film was originally given an X rating. So, cuts were made. But, this time, the cuts were largely unnecessary. I would have kept it at an X rating. But, thanks to the Unrated and Uncut versions, you can view all the gore that was removed from the original theatrical release. But the thing is, the movie could have been any horror film. Just replace Leatherface with something else. It did not seem original in it’s own right. Though, I can cut it some slack because it returned to being a horror film and not a black comedy like the second film.

So, the worst film of the whole series. I knew what this movie was going to be like before watching it. First of all, the title. The title of the film was originally Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That was what it was when it was originally released in theaters in 1994. Colombia Pictures shelved the film and waited for a time where a profit could be made. That was around 1997 when the film was re-released as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. But why wait? Because the film stars Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey. At the time, they were unknown. So Colombia decided to release this film when they both made it big. Course the film was a failure anyway. The film achieved less than $200,000 in box office. So, that means nothing. A film with a very low box office can be a great film overall. Can it? Not with this film. My point is, the re- release title (and the one that the film is commonly referred to) does not make any sense. Next Generation? Sounds like Star Trek: The Next Generation to me. Let’s talk about the plot.

You have our main character Jenny who is with 3 other friends who are going to their High School prom. They start arguing and end up getting into a wreck and thus leaving them stranded in the woods. Jenny and 2 of her friends look for help while the other waits back. Jenny and her friends come across this building. The person in the building calls this man named Vilmer. Jenny and her friends go back to the wreck but somehow get separated. Vilmer shows up and kills the driver of the other vehicle and chases Jenny’s other friend. Jenny’s 2 other friends come across this house and meet Leatherface and W.E. One of Jenny’s friends are killed by Leatherface. Jenny finds her way back to the wreck and meets Vilmer. She finds out what Vilmer did and she escapes back into the woods only to confront Leatherface again. She comes across the house and finds a gun. Jenny shoots but does not shoot Leatherface. She attempts to escape and almost does so until W.E. finds her and knocks her out. Jenny and her other friend are then tortured. They join the family for dinner where Jenny’s friend is then killed. Then a man named Rothman comes in and says some weird stuff and then leaves. Jenny escapes and is chased by Vilmer and Leatherface. An airplane eventually flies down and kills Vilmer and Leatherface stops chasing Jenny who jumps into a limousine with Rothman inside.

I mean, the summary does not look too bad. Thing is, it was not executed well at all. I cannot find an ounce of good in this movie. The cheap Leatherface mask was gross. It looks very cheap. Then all of a sudden, Leatherface turns full TRANSGENDER!!! I do not have a problem with transgenders at all. It just seemed weird for this movie. Then again, Leatherface did have the Pretty Lady mask and the Grandma mask in the original film, so I should not be complaining. Many describe it as the worst horror film of all time. I will say that is not true. Because, I have seen worse. This movie was crazy. From gun barrels in the mouth and transgender chainsaw wielding murder, it is crazy. Dialogue was terrible. Everything I have to say is negative about the movie.

So, after the failure of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, it was unlikely that another sequel would appear. There is in fact an unreleased 1 hour prequel filmed. But, it was not a true next installment (which was probably why the film was never released). In 2003, we seen a remake rather than another sequel. The film was quite successful at box office for the time with the film earning over $100 million at box office. The film was produced by Michael Bay who you may be familiar with. This film was the one that was heavily influenced by Ed Gein. Whereas past films were loosely based upon Ed Gein. The question is, was it a good movie? Let’s talk about the plot.

We see a group of friends driving through the country. The are all getting high and all of that. They pick up a hitchhiker who looks lost. She starts freaking out because a bad man will get kill all of them. The hitchhiker girl pulls a gun out from under her skirt and shoots herself in the mouth. Not wanting to be caught, the group of friends come across a restaurant and ask for the police. They are told to meet with the Sheriff at a mill. They are then told by a boy to go to the Sheriff's house. Two of the friends go and come across what appears to be the Sheriff's house. They go inside the house and get separated and then Kemper (one of the friends) is killed by Leatherface. Erin (our protagonist) is unaware of what has happened and goes back to the mill. The sheriff arrives at the mill and examines the body and wraps it in plastic. Erin realizes that Kemper is missing, her and Andy (another friend) go back to the house. Andy sneaks inside while Erin talks to an amputated man named Monty. Andy gets his leg cut off and is dragged into the basement of Leatherface. Erin goes back to the mill where the sheriff finds drugs. He orders them to stay where they are and then the sheriff interrogates Morgan (another friend). He hands him a gun and asks how the hitchhiker died. Morgan tries to shoot the sheriff but fails in doing so. Morgan is arrested and is taken to the house of Leatherface. Erin and her other friend Pepper are left alone. They come across Leatherface who is wearing Kempers face. Pepper is killed and Erin runs. She comes across two ladies. One has a child which turns out to be the hitchhiker’s and the other lady likes drinking tea. Erin is drugged after drinking some tea. She wakes up in the house and is later taken to the basement where she finds Andy on a hook with his leg amputated. He tells Erin to kill him and she does so. She finds Morgan and the two escape thanks to the boy who told them about the sheriff and the mill. Morgan is later killed and Erin is chased by Leatherface. She injures Leatherface and escapes. A semi truck comes by and she gets in. She tells the driver about what happened. The driver goes to the restaurant where the Hewitt family is. Erin steals a car and the gets the hitchhiker's baby. The sheriff tries stopping her and she kills him by running him over. That is how it all ends.

So, as you can see, the film follows the same plot as the original with some minor tweaks. One of them was contradicting to the whole series. The family name. Ever since the second film, we all knew that Leatherface’s last name was Sawyer. Not Hewitt. But, this film does give us more back story about Leatherface. The film does talk about why Leatherface is the person he is (he was picked on due to his deformed face). Speaking of which, we do see the unmasking of Leatherface. We see a much more expanded family as well. Some nitpicky things about this film is the van that we see in the beginning. I am pretty sure it is a year older than what it should have been. But maybe that is just me. Another thing is the song Sweet Home Alabama. The film takes place in TEXAS. NOT ALABAMA. But, it is a good song but it was in the wrong film. We had some familiar faces in the cast. Most importantly was the late R. Lee Ermey. He was put in the perfect role for this film. We also see Jessica Biel but her role in this film is not as memorable as much as other films. The script was still a little below average in my opinion. The gore level was upped. These days, you can have that stuff in movies. I wish that were the same for horror movies back then. Leatherface’s appearance is not scary. You can tell that the people making this film tried too hard. I did not find Leatherface scary but I found him looking ridiculous. People describe this film as an unnecessary remake. I don’t find it unnecessary because a reboot was needed for this film series. Was this remake scary? No it was not. I find this film to be somewhat mediocre. The events were very predictable and not much suspense. It is watchable but it did not quite appeal to me as it may have to others.

Rating: 5/10

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

After the below average success of the latest Texas Chainsaw Massacre film, there was room for another film. Only problem was how does the story continue? Will the second film be remade? What we got was a prequel to the 2003 film. Which ultimately is a prequel to all of the films. The film had some returning cast members from the last film. Namely anyone who played a member of the Hewitt family returned. The film had a higher budget but managed to meet it in box office returns. When you look at it though, 50 million is kind of a low number for box office returns. The film itself was not as well recieved by critics as the 2003 film. But let’s get to the plot.

A woman gives birth to a son and she then dies. The baby is later found by another lady. The baby then becomes Thomas Hewitt. Leatherface. The lady raises Thomas as her own. Years later Thomas is working at a slaughterhouse where he then kills his manager and finds a chainsaw. The local sherrif then attempts to arrest Leatherface but is then killed by Charles Hewitt who then becomes Sherrif Hoyt (which explains why he became a Sherrif in the first place). Then we see two brothers with their girlfriends taking a road trip. They meet some bikers and then the two brothers with their girlfriends are finding themselves being chased by the bikers. A crash happens. Sherrif Hoyt arrives kills one of the bikers and takes the rest of the group minus the other biker and one of the girlfriends. The girl and the other biker meet up and go to the Hewitt House where the rest of the group is being held hostage. The two brothers are tortured by Hoyt and eventually they escape along with the other girlfriend. Their attempt at escape fails with the other girlfriend being caught by Leatherface, one of the brothers by a bear trap, and the other brother knocked unconscious. The biker and the other girlfriend find the house and they go searching for their friends only when the biker guy gets captured and killed. The other girlfriend finds her boyfriend and tries to help him escape only to fail. She hides only to witness Leatherface kill her boyfriend, who then skins his face and wears it. The girlfriend goes to search for the other girlfriend. Eventually they are both captured and one of the girlfriends are killed. Eventually the last girlfriend escapes along with the other boyfriend. They make it to the slaughterhouse. The last boyfriend is eventually killed. The last girlfriend gets into a car and attempts to make an escape only to be killed by Leatherface.

The plot is obviously the same as the original 1974 classic and the 2003 remake. So, it is starting to become an overused plot. There does seem to be more gore than the previous which is what we want as viewers. Leatherface has a cool look and is a step up from the previous film. But that is the only scary part about the whole film. Due to the over used plot, the films which incorporate the overused plot, become less frightening. Even the characters start to be over used. The acting is at the same level as the previous film. The only redeeming factor in this film is the gore and a better looking Leatherface. This film was no better than the 2003 film. If not worse.

Rating: 2/10

The Texas Chainsaw 3D

In 2013, The Texas Chainsaw 3D was released in theaters. I never saw it in theaters but I do remember the trailer. The trailer actually gave me hope for the failing Texas Chainsaw series. I never did get around to watching the film until a year or so ago. Of course this was all before I decided to rewatch them for the purpose of Monster Madness. (Don’t worry I will explain it later.) As the title suggests, the film was shown in 3D. Of course it is not the case when watching it on TV. The first slasher that done this to my knowledge was Friday the 13th Part III 3D. Reviews were generally mixed to negative with a few positive here and there. Box office was decent though I honestly would have expected better. Let’s get to the plot!

After the events of the first film, (like directly after), the mayor of the town gathers a group of people to burn down the Sawyer house. Of course the sherrif wants to approach this situation differently but fails to do so. The house burns down and kills everyone except Leatherface and a mother and her baby. The mother eventually dies after one of the people from the rally finds her and the baby. The man takes the baby and raise her as his own. Many years later the girl (Heather) recieves a letter from her grandmother that explains that she was adopted. The letter also includes that the grandmother left a house to Heather. Heather, her boyfriend, her friend and her friend’s boyfriend all decide to go and take a look at the house. They pick up a hitchiker and eventually arrive at the house. They decide to sleep in the house. The hitchiker decides to steal some of the items but eventually is killed by Leatherface. Eventually Heather’s friend’s boyfriend is killed. Heather finds the bodies and is attacked by Leatherface. Heather, her friend, and Heather’s boyfriend escape in a van but eventually wreck due to the tires getting slashed by Leatherface. Heather eventually becomes the only survivor and walks upon a carnival. Leatherface chases her around where Heather eventually finds a deputy and Leatherface runs off. Heather is at the police station and eventually learns of her relations with the Sawyer family. She escapes and at the same time the deputy sends an officer to take a look at the house. That officer eventually is killed and the mayor wants Heather and Leatherface dead. He eventually catches Heather and they take her to the slaughterhouse where Leatherface shows up and eventually finds out that Heather is his cousin. Leatherface helps Heather escape and the mayor is eventually killed and Leatherface and Heather go back to the house. Heather reads a letter she found earlier and learns that Leatherface is there to protect Heather.

After all these years of cliche plots, movie makers found a way to change the plot in someway. One thing I have a split opinion on is the fact that every single film except the first are completely ignored. Why split opinion though? Of course the sequels were somewhat uneccessary. They did not expand the storyline at all. Then again, I am one of those that prefer films to be tied in with each other. Something interesting that came out of this film was that Leatherface was not really the main villian. It is the mayor. I think what the people behind the film were trying to get at is that people are monsters to those that are different. Sure, Leatherface killed people only because he is scared much unlike the towns people who killed almost an entire family. The kills are cool but fall short of great because the effects are all CG. Blood splattering looks like a red mist. I really would have liked to see this film in 3D because many of the shots (like where Leatherface throws his chainsaw) are unecessary without 3D. The plot is an improvement because as I said before, it is not the same overused cliche plot. One complaint I have to mention is the constant sound of a chainsaw. The sound just gets downright annoying. There is not enough chainsaw kills which is quite disappointing. The acting is better than the last film but not great. In conclusion the film is an improvement but is far from great.

Rating: 5/10

Leatherface

In 2016, there was news of a new TCM film called Leatherface to be released. Of course, it was not released until the next year. But does anyone even remember this film being released in theaters? I remember wanting to see it but never seen a screening for it. The film did recieve a limited theatrical release. What makes this film even more interesting is that it was made available via DirecTV owners. Luckily I came across this film by pure chance and of course watched it. The film due to the limited release did not do well in the box office. The film was made to be a prequel to the original 1974 classic. What we have here now is the canon TCM films. Leatherface, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and The Texas Chainsaw 3D. Without further ado, let’s get to the plot.

We see a couple driving through Texas when they come across a child. They follow a child where eventually they come across the Sawyer family and are killed. The wife’s father is the Sherrif and finds out that his daughter was killed and takes the child (who is Leatherface) to a mental hospital. Years later we see Leatherface and a nurse who have developed some sort of friendship. Leatherface’s mother decides to visit her son only to cause some chaos within the hospital. Leatherface and the nurse eventually escape but are soon taken hostage. The kidnappers along with Leatherface and the nurse arrive at a restaurant and kill everyone in the diner. They all escape and the Sherrif arrives on scene. The nurse attempts to escape and fails to do so but then suceed in doing so after one of the kidnappers go missing and the other is killed. The nurse and Leatherface find a deputy and gets his attention. Then for some reason, Leatherface kills the deputy. The get into the deputy’s car and are then chased by the Sherrif. The car that Leatherface and the nurse are in crash and the Sherrif takes the nurse and Leatherface hostage. The Sawyer family show up and kill the Sherrif and the nurse escapes only to get hurt. Leatherface eventually kills her and the film ends with Leatherface making his mask of human faces.

I do like that we see an origin of type of movie. I do feel like the movie did a decent job at explaining Leatherface’s motive for the earlier films. Is the film rememerable? No. The film in general is a mixed bag. The Sherrif and the nurse were the only good characters in the film while Leatherface was not really an interesting character despite the film supposed to be about him. The film is about a Sherrif who wants revenge for the death of his daughter.

Rating: 5/10

In conclusion, the TCM is loved by many. I like it to an extent that it is horror garbage for my eyes. Despite many of the movies being terrible, I like watching them because it is a major series in the slasher genre. I can ignore many of the negatives of these films unless it is damaging to the series. All the films within major slasher franchises seem to fall victim to negative critic reviews but consumers love them. With the TCM series, it is no exception. In this case, the TCM series is not great but not terrible. Somehow, I love it. That is why the TCM series is loved. People like me love them for what they are, the kills and the main killer. Try wrapping your heads around that one! The next series I will be reviewing will be the Halloween series.